1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for gathering or corrugating a web of textile material over the length thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a web of textile material is often required to have a substantial thickness depending on the application thereof and, for this purpose, the web of textile material is gathered or corrugated over the length thereof so that the resultant corrugated web of textile material can have a required thickness.
As far as the textile web having a substantial thickness is concerned, one of the textile webs currently available in the market is of a type wherein, as shown in FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings, textile fibers generally identified by 1 are oriented in two dimensions in transverse directions generally parallel to and perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the textile web. Another one of the conventional textile webs is of a type wherein, as shown in FIG. 8 of the same, the textile fibers are oriented in two dimensions not only in the transverse directions parallel to and perpendicular to the lengthwise direction thereof, but also in a direction generally parallel to the thickness thereof as indicated by D. Both of the conventional textile webs shown respectively in FIGS. 7 and 8 contain binder particles 2 dispersed therein to bind the textile fibers 1 together.
As a further one of the conventional textile webs, a needle-punched carpet is well known as shown in FIG. 9. The needle-punched carpet is formed by needle-punching a layer of textile fibers to avoid separation of the textile fibers and also to make the textile fibers collected in a desired density while exhibiting a desired physical strength in both of directions parallel to and transverse to the lengthwise direction thereof.
Any one of the conventional textile webs shown respectively in FIGS. 7 and 8 is prepared by collecting textile fibers on a convey or as the textile fibers are discharged at high speed onto the conveyor or laminating the discharged textile fibers. However, in order for the textile web to have a relatively great thickness, the machine for the manufacture thereof is required to be expensive and bulky. Also, as far as the conventional textile web wherein the textile fibers are oriented in the two or three dimensions, the manufacture of the textile web having an increased thickness, for example, 20 mm or greater, requires a needle-punching operation to be effected thereto, followed by laminating plural textile webs together by the use of a needle-punching technique.
In addition, in order for the textile web shown in any one of FIGS. 7 and 8 to have a relatively high fiber density, it is necessary to compress and heat-treat bulky fiber webs, rendering the machine to be bulky.
With respect to the conventional textile web shown in FIG. 9, since the punching operation is effected in a direction D generally parallel to the thickness of the textile web, a difficulty is encountered in driving a long felt needle across the thickness of the textile web. Therefore, in the manufacture of the textile web shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of needle felts are sewed together by the felt needle, posing a problem in that the thickness of the resultant textile web is limited. In other words, the technique to make the textile web shown in FIG. 9 is ineffective to provide the textile web having a required fiber density and also having a required thickness.